Just another WordPress.com weblog

Public journalism presents benefits but also attracts criticism

Steph Seidel
Public journalism presents benefits but also attracts criticism
Public journalism attempts to hear the stories and ideas of citizens, consider other ways to frame stories on important community issues, select frames that increase the chances of citizen deliberation and public understanding of issues, report on major public problems in a manner that increases public knowledge of possible solutions, and pay attention to how well and how credibly it communicates with the public. Although public journalism only came onto the scene in the 1990s, the philosophical roots of this new movement date back to the 1920s.
According to Walter Lippmann, American democracy would function best under the control of well-educated elites because ordinary citizens were too busy, too ignorant or too overwhelmed with information to make educated decisions and actively participate in the democratic process. Lippmann believed that trusted journalists must provide selected information to citizens, and that citizens then must use this information to participate in the principal democratic activity; voting. John Dewey disagreed with Lippmann, claiming that citizens were capable and obligated to participate in public life, which included more involvement and effort than just voting. Although Lippmann’s ideologies became the cornerstone of twentieth century journalism, other scholars such Yankelovich argued that Americans felt disconnected from the political process not because of a lack of interest but instead believed that their opinion didn’t matter or make a difference.
After the coverage of the 1988 elections, some journalists began to imagine different methods in which they could cover communities and their politics. Columnist and author David Broder blamed uncaring, detached journalists for Americans’ lack of confidence in the political system, claiming that journalists needed to work to determine where the citizen’s interests lie. However, there are many theoretical arguments made against public journalism; Americans would find civic journalism too boring, that public journalism demonstrates an underlying distrust in the government and is in fact antidemocratic by definition, and that journalist’s main responsibility is to provide accurate information, not to campaign or rally support for social or political causes.
Despite the criticisms, public journalism in practice has been considered successful in many instances. According to researcher Philip Meyer “(1) easy-to-read “issue grids” are effective, (2) intensive efforts to inform voters work best when applied to a single issue, (3) public meetings are effective at arousing citizen interest and participation, and (4) the basic act of making an effort to involve readers in community issues is well received”. While most projects were election-related at the beginning of the movement, a shift toward more community projects occurred as time went on, and many of these projects focused on the long term visions for the community or addressed issues such as immigration, youth and race relations within the community.
I feel that public journalism is increasingly important in our society today. So many citizens of America are uninformed and apathetic about our nation’s politics and policies, and as a result, it is incredibly difficult to discern what the public actually thinks, wants or needs. In order to increase political awareness and knowledge, citizens need to be receptive and eager to consume to the information provided by newspapers and other media sources. I believe that newspapers and other media sources have a responsibility and a burden to help foster more public interest in political issues and to increase public action. Although I do not believe traditional journalism and objectivity should be thrown by the wayside, I do think it is in a newspapers’ best interest to discuss local community activities and provide a forum for citizens to voice their concerns or problems within the community. When readers feel they are active participants in their community and in our democracy instead of just detached spectators, they will be more inclined to express their opinions and believe that they can make a difference. If members of the community can team up with local newspapers to discuss problems and potential solutions to these problems, the entire society will be able to benefit from the work of these inspired individuals.
The Charlotte Observer began practicing public journalism during the 1992 elections, and in his article, “Covering Politics Civil Journalism Style”, Charlotte Observer reporter Rick Thames gives insight to the way The Charlotte Observer began instilling concepts of public journalism into their news stories, and gives tips to journalists attempting to cover elections using public journalism methods. Thames discusses the importance of discovering what actually matters to voters in order to determine what the election is actually about. The Charlotte Observer did this by conducting a series of issues polls, followed by individual interviews and focus groups, and was quite surprised when they found one of voters’ main concerns were the moral and ethical values that seemed to be lacking from the nation and the candidates. Thames also recommends designating a space to chronicle the daily twists and turns of the campaign, from polls to photos to candidates’ criticisms of each other. Another helpful tool for potential voters may be explanatory articles about vital issues in the campaign, such as health care, the economy, crime, drugs, the deficit, and the environment. It is essential to include information about how each issue affects the daily lives of voters as well as give a detailed account of candidate’s stance on the issue. The Charlotte Observer created a feature called “Choices”, which began with a specific voter’s circumstances or concerns, and then outlined the different candidates’ positions on relevant issues. Thames concludes by reminding readers that the strength of this country rests with its citizens, and that journalists have an obligation to provide these citizens with all the information they need in order to make informed decisions when electing candidates into office.